Spain Beset by Strikes as Unions Protest Labor Laws

While Spaniards have largely allowed Rajoy to proceed in plans to satisfy European-set goals to avoid a bailout, it is apparent that they are now growing concerned over increasingly strict austerity measures. “The labor reform has taken away workers’ rights my parents managed to win.,” Miguel Paster, a train driver in Madrid, was quoted saying. ” This strike is just a starting point for protests and I see things ramping up in the coming months.”

The political website eldiario.es theorized that the strike might actually help Rajoy in negotiations with European policymakers, saying, “If we Spaniards accept this abuse with resignation, apathy and docility, the government won’t have the will or the arguments to stand up to Brussels and Berlin.”

The Spanish government insists that it will not back down from austerity measures, and many are afraid to take part in demonstrations when the unemployment rate is already so high at 23%; among Spaniards under 25 it is nearly 50%.